A STRUGGLE FOR THE AGENDA - NORWEGIAN PARTIES AND THE EUROPEAN ISSUE,1989-1995

The aim of the article is to explore electoral strategies employed by Norwegian party elites to handle the European issue between 1989 and 1 995. On the basis of the literature on party strategies - especially a genda-setting - I present a hypothesis on selective emphasis in the pa rty elites' communication to the electorate. The hypothesis predicts s trong emphasis on the EU issue in the anti-EU parties, while conflicti ng aims - maximizing votes in elections and winning the referendum on EU membership - will lead the pro-EU parties to downplay the issue. To test this prediction, the contents of party programmes, questions ask ed during Question Time in parliament, and a televised party leader de bate are analysed. The results are mixed; agenda-setting efforts seem to vary with different communication channels. While the hypothesis wa s supported in the case of the television debate, no selective emphasi s was found in the party programmes.